


Clanbuilding for Dummies

by RowanandKatrina



Category: The Sims (Video Games)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Comic, F/M, Forgotten Hollow, Newcrest, Useless Vampires, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2019-08-04 10:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 8,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16344680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanandKatrina/pseuds/RowanandKatrina
Summary: Windenburg and Forgotten Hollow have it so easy with all their premade houses and established families. But in a desperate world of empty lots, one man tries to put Newcrest on the map. Hmm? Yes, we KNOW it's technically "on the map." We meant in the figurative sense, and--oh, just read the story!





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Sim-fic is a combination format of written story and comic pages. At some point in the creation process, I did some chapter re-arranging and was shortsighted enough to stamp "end of Chapter X" at the end of certain pages. Ignore those. Hope you enjoy reading!

The two vampires met just before dawn, on the steps of the largest (and clearly, most expensive) abode in all of Forgotten Hollow. One male, white-haired and conservatively dressed. One female, who looked like she had recently been performing at a rock concert. Mohawk and all.

While Forgotten Hollow was normally a quiet place, tonight it was anything but.

The first rays of sunlight began to crack through the dark sky. As neither vampire wished to be lightly roasted with a side of wolfsbane, they quickly brought the conversation to a close, each in their own way.

Gertrude, of course, insisted on yelling. Vladislaus preferred his succinct approach.

And that, dear readers, is how our story begins. And you know what? We prefer the name Miss H over Gertrude. We shall, as the young ones say, stick with that.


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, so you have returned, have you? Very well, let us get to the story in earnest and introduce our protagonist. His name is Elliot Marshall, and he is easily recognized by his sole proprietary use of the inner thought speech bubbles.

At the start of our story, we find Elliot making full use of said bubbles as his muses to himself about the sheer unfairness of his personal situation.

Elliot had not heard of such a place as Forgotten Hollow. But he was also speaking to Kyle, someone he considered to be demonstrably less intelligent than himself. He was not, therefore, about to admit ignorance of anything. He followed Kyle along a suspiciously dark path he had never noticed in Newcrest before, feigning the whole time to know exactly where he was going. But as the air grew colder around him, his heartbeat rose inexplicably, and he began to ponder if he really should have remained at home with his grilled cheese sandwich.

Well, too late to turn back now.

It is neither a kind nor a wise thing to go about a master vampire’s home screaming at the top of your lungs. For one, they could have sensitive hearing. And vampires have a reputation for quickly disposing of that which bothers or annoys them. For another, a good scream may signal to a vampire, who is a natural predator, that you are not something to have a conversation with, but rather a tasty snack.

Thankfully, with his years of experience dealing with mortals, Vladislaus was able to put Elliot’s screaming in context and gave him the space and time needed to calm himself.

He also informed Elliot that if he did not cease the incessant noise, he would be promptly turned into a plasma pack. Or three.

Elliot quickly found his wits after this, and the trio sat at Vlad’s excessively large dining room table, where they enjoyed a late evening meal together. Or least, the mortals did. Vladislaus helped himself to a drink from the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

Elliot had to admit, when Vladislaus was not directly threatening his life, he was every bit the gracious host. Of course, Elliot lived in a drywall house with a dead cowplant on the smallest lot in Newcrest, so he had not attended many upscale social events to compare this one to. But based on the limited information he had, Vladislaus seemed not evil so much as merely a misunderstood loner. 

Vladislaus was most careful to keep his maniacal laughter to himself. 

Within two days, the men had developed a good friendship, and Elliot would be lying if he said he didn't feel a bit envious of the power Kyle would soon have. 

It seems our chapter is coming to a close, so we will allow Elliot to use the inner thought bubbles once again to close us out...

Young women passing out on Elliot's front lawn was not a regular occurrence, and so his concern for her well-being was justified. But as to who this lady was and exactly how Elliot dealt with the situation? Well, that's a story for another time.


	4. Chapter 4

When last we left Elliot, he had exited his abode to find an unconscious woman on his front lawn, with no clue as to who she was, where she had come from, or what was ailing her. Nevertheless, Elliot had some advantage in the situation. After all, he was a newly turned vampire. As such, he possessed superhuman strength, an ageless perspective, and incredible finesse.

Unfortunately, he used none of those things.

Lexi laughed at Elliot’s self-deprecating humor. It was refreshing. Not that Kyle wasn’t a loyal friend. It was more that Kyle tended to talk rather than listen, and Lexi seemed the complete opposite. She was the sort of person one could simply open up to. And, as it turned out, she did not mind doing her own share of opening up to Elliot.

Elliot had to admit, he was a bit nervous returning to his master’s mansion. Not because he thought Lexi would trash or burglarize his home. (Really, there was little to trash or burglarize there.) No, his concern was far deeper. Vladislaus had not been subtle about his disdain for humans. And Elliot was quite sure he wasn’t being called over for a friendly visit. His best hope was to get out of whatever it was Vladislaus wanted as quickly and painlessly as possible. He approached the grand, aged door and knocked. His master answered with such speed, Elliot suspected he had been waiting behind the door since he ended their phone call.

Elliot left the meeting feeling much more hopeful than he had expected when he entered. Perhaps it was the prospect of having a grand master’s powers, though Vladislaus’s lively tune on the pipe organ had surely also lifted his spirits. He returned home to find the bowls of stew eaten and Lexi sleeping peacefully on the bed he could no longer use. Elliot walked over, quietly so as to not disturb her, watching her shoulders rise and fall with her deep breathing. Vladislaus’s final words of the evening echoed in his mind.

He meant it with all sincerity, no strings attached. Though if Lexi had woken to find him staring creepily over her sleeping form, she might have assumed otherwise. Vladislaus wanted loyalty, and the old vampire assumed he had it in Elliot. After all, he had granted Elliot superhuman abilities and an immortal life. But what he didn’t understand was there was more to loyalty than giving gifts to people so you could use them. People had to trust you. Trust your judgment. And if there was one thing Elliot did not trust, it was Vladislaus’s judgment. But for now, he would take up the challenge he had been given. And maybe, just maybe, Lexi would be willing to help him.


	5. Chapter 5

A week had passed since Lexi first agreed to stay with Elliot. And while most of Elliot's weeks were punctuated by continual failure and disappointment, this week had been the complete opposite. He had been promoted once more at his job, moving into the role of a mixologist. He had never been drawn to mixology before, nor to anything for that matter. Yet he found he had a flair for it. At the very least, it seemed more convenient to taste what he was about to serve without the need to vomit afterwards. 

The other positive of the week was Lexi's work outdoors. Elliot did not know it was possible for trees to grow in a week, but then again, the trees in question also perfectly replicated human plasma. So, really, who was he to question how any of it worked? The end result was he now could harvest all he needed to survive, plasma packs were a thing of the past, and he'd actually had the means to make some long overdue home improvements. 

Lexi helped him out a bit there, too. 

  
  
  


It was not a sudden interest in being romantically attracted to Kyle that gave Lexi pause. Rather it was the speed at which Kyle's power had affected her. Elliot, for the most part, rarely gave any indication he was a vampire at all. She'd never seen his dark form and never seen him use his powers. It had more or less led her to the conclusion that vampire abilities were limited to turning into a bat and having no use for a toilet. 

But this changed her feelings considerably. If there was real power to be had in the vampire life, she wanted to know more about it. 

  
  
  


Lexi did feel mildly bad for letting Kyle down so hard. Then again, she told herself, if he was going to take an obvious magical limitation experiment so seriously, the flaw was with him, not her.

She sat back quietly while Elliot explained just what he had discussed with Vladislaus the first night she had stayed here. Elliot recalled charges to turn five willing humans to vampires in a creepy competition against Vlad's other offspring. 

_Interesting_ , she thought to herself. Lexi had never been one to snub a good opportunity. She'd been offered so few of them. 

As Elliot concluded his story, Lexi briefly wondered if Kyle was also given a similar assignment. Given his shocked reaction to Elliot's news, she guessed not. 

  
  
  
  


And so it was that Elliot's vampire clan began in earnest. Of course, Lexi still had some time before the transformation was complete. The full effect of her powers thus far had only shown her that perhaps, vampires did have a use for toilets. 

Elliot, for his part, felt both a strange pride and protectiveness of his new offspring. He hoped she would come to love this life as he did, not be dragged down by the inevitable moodiness that came with joining the undead. 

And Kyle? Kyle was merely left wondering why Vladislaus had never asked him to start a clan.


	6. Chapter 6

While Lexi was quite excited for her new life to begin, she soon came to the unfortunate conclusion that it did not share her enthusiasm. 

And thus, armed with some of Lexi’s freshly grown fruit and an impressive sun-blocking umbrella, Elliot and Lexi headed outside. 

Lexi naturally expected that given Newcrest’s lack of any interesting landmarks, they would most likely head to a park by Willow Creek. Or maybe even travel to Forgotten Hollow, a place she had yet to see but nevertheless got the sense she should get herself familiar with. But Elliot went neither of these places. Instead, he walked along the small creek that ran through Newcrest, to a spot where the flat grass sloped down towards the edge of the water. Here, tucked under the crest of earth above it, sat a lovely picnicking alcove, complete with a worn wooden table and grill. Lexi hurried up to the space excitedly, temporarily forgetting the pain in her neck or the churning in her stomach. She set the fruit aside and headed toward a log that surely held some natural treasures inside. 

The sun was low, and the late fall breezes felt like nature draping a cool shawl over her shoulders. Not that she wanted to live in nature. But she was happy to visit. 

Elliot paid her no mind, an attitude Lexi was more or less used to. Not from Elliot specifically but just from people in general. She considered going back to the house herself. Elliot had hardly ordered her to stay, and anyway, he wasn’t officially her vampire master yet. It was more his words that kept her where she was. This whole decision was about stepping out of her comfort zone, wasn’t it? Being daring? How was she supposed to grow into a powerful vampire if she was afraid of a little rain? 

Swallowing her fear, Lexi stretched out her arms. Large droplets plinked off her arms, like... like watery fingers attempting to play Moonlight Sonata on her skin. Or something artsy like that. Lexi laughed and shook the water off, even as more poured onto her. 

Lightning struck again, though farther away than before as the storm moved its way through. As if to let the two pedestrians know it wasn’t going quietly, a large gust of wind took a hold of Elliot’s umbrella and wrenched it inside out. Water flew in his face in a most unmastered way, and Elliot looked over the useless object nervously. 

Elliot was touched. Genuinely touched. No one had really done anything for him before out of the sheer niceness of it. Then again, he sensed Lexi had similar life experiences. (Okay, perhaps not sensed so much as overheard when she stated it bluntly.) So here they were. A couple of beaten-down friends who were going to rise to the top. He liked the sound of it.


	7. Chapter 7

The transition to a life of darkness and plasma is never an easy one, but thankfully Lexi had plenty of emotional support in Elliot. Not to mention those perfect trees she had worked to cultivate were really coming in handy right now. 

Of course, life was not without its problems. Elliot's clan was still painfully small. Vladislaus had more than hinted there would be additional requirements for his clan beyond "get five willing members." And the old vampire had yet to divulge any further details. 

Then there were the more minor, everyday sorts of issues. Kyle was good at coming over and observing those.

  
  
  


Elliot failed to see how that fact was relevant at first. In his mind, vampires were more well-known for being oblivious to new technology, not well-versed in it. Then again, his cooking skills had improved much faster than before his turning, most especially when practicing at night. And with dusk just now falling and at Lexi already at the computer, she had a most excellent head start. 

She worked vigorously over the next several days. Elliot worked vigorously at his mixology job, a bit uncomfortable with the spike in bills since they'd installed their basement pool. Kyle worked vigorously at avoiding work.

As the morning of GeekCon dawned, Elliot carefully prepared three Sunlight Reversal Cocktails for his friends. Useful for any and all ventures into daylight-ridden conventions.

  
  
  


Elliot quickly located Kyle by the 3D BricBlock display. If Lexi's cocktail was wearing off, then theirs would soon. Upon hearing of Lexi's condition, Kyle dropped what he was doing and even volunteered his umbrella to shield her from the sun's rays on the journey home. Elliot could not tell whether this was out of generosity or simply because Kyle wanted to be the one seen walking home with the sparkling new oversized television. Either way, Lexi dubbed him "Umbrella Guy" and he happily accepted the nickname.

Meanwhile, in Forgotten Hollow, some other GeekCon attendees had also made their way home. Though perhaps not to a very welcome presence ...

  
  



	8. Chapter 8

While Lexi did not immediately bounce back to full undead health under Kyle's protective umbrella, she did seem to perk up a bit. The skies were looking cloudy over Newcrest when they arrived back. At first, this was a relief to Lexi and the others, who had also started to feel the effects of the cocktail wearing off. But then Elliot noticed something peculiar. While all of Newcrest was shadowed by the heavy clouds, their heaviness seemed particularly concentrated over his home. And as we all know, nothing says "ominous presense" like a group of clouds gathering unnaturally above one's living space. 

Elliot's uneasy feelings were confirmed as he opened the door.   
  
  
  


Elliot scrutinized the list with utmost concentration. None of the names took him by surprise at first. He'd heard several of them before: 

From San Myshuno, Lily Feng  
From Willow Creek, Bella Goth  
From Del Sol Valley, Judith Ward  
From Oasis Springs, Geoffrey Landgraab

Elliot knew that last one all too well from the logo emblazoned at the top of all his power bills. Then he looked at the last name on the list:

From Windenburg, Max Villareal

Unless Elliot was mistaken, Max was the youngest member of the Villareal family. How was a child the key person of influence in all of Windenburg? Still, Vladislaus assured them all that Max was a terrifying force of nature and not to be underestimated. 

Lexi and Kyle also looked over the list carefully and noticed their own oddities.  
  
  
  


Feeling overwhelmed, Elliot collapsed into the dark, unwieldy throne Vladislaus had not bothered to take with him when he vanished. This was not how things were supposed to go. True, if one had asked Elliot what he thought creating a vampire clan entailed, he certainly would not have called it a fun-filled safe adventure. Yet neither had he paused to contemplate what the non-safe parts might involve. 

Now he was stuck. Having Vladislaus as a master was tolerable. As the old vampire had admitted, he had become quite lax and was more or less content to let Elliot go about his business. Who knew what his offspring were capable of, though? 

And worst of all, he'd entangled Lexi in this mess, too. He felt especially bad about that. 

  


It was unclear where Lexi's hesitation was coming from. But as long as they were in this together anyway, Elliot did not push the matter. He and Kyle (or preferably he and not Kyle) would address the other people on the list. Lily Feng would be left to whatever Lexi's plans happened to be.


	9. Chapter 9

It was one of Lexi’s truly most detested days--a rare occurrence but a dreaded one. Love Day had fallen on the same day as the San Myshuno romance festival. 

Lexi had nothing against others enjoying Love Day or the festival, for that matter. But rarely did her friends and acquaintances seem content to enjoy the events on their own. No, their lives simply were not complete until they tried to convince Lexi of the error of her unflirty ways, attempt to fill her with sakura tea, and set her up with the next single person who passed by looking remotely her age. 

And Lexi’s previous employer Lily Feng was one of the absolute worst offenders. 

Unfortunately, there was no way around it. She’d agreed to meet with Lily and while on any other day, the schedule-stuffed businesswoman might have turned her down, it was inconceivable she would pass up one more opportunity to cast Lexi down the road of the hopeless romantic. 

As long as Lexi stuck to the right script, things would probably be okay. Probably. 

Lexi proceeded to Planet Honey Pop. Which sounded exactly like the type of place Love Day would hang out. Sure enough, Lily Feng was already waiting there, despite the fact that Lexi had arrived ten minutes early. She took a deep breath and put on her most convincing (though not at all genuine) smile. 

  
  


The two women walked inside to the bar, while meanwhile in the midst of the festival, the subjects of their gossip threw a small celebration. 

Inside Planet Honey Pop, Lexi chose a small table away from the crowd. She quickly and convincingly whipped up a story about the Landgraabs with just enough facts in it to sound legitimate. After all, Mr. Landgraab had been on Vladislaus's list. Surely another vampire had at least mentioned the possibility of turning to the man. 

Lily listened intently, looking more furious with Lexi's every word. 

  


Lexi and Lily spoke for several hours until the bartender finally requested they leave. A legitimate request, as they had not actually purchased anything, and the festival was long over. It had been too much to hope that a powerful business woman would make a snap decision to become a vampire. Choices like that were more Lexi's territory. People like her didn't have too much to loose. 

Even so, Lexi felt confident as she arrived home at almost two in the morning, exhausted and not at all on normal creature-of-the-night hours. She crawled into the extra coffin Elliot had stashed in the basement and immediately fell asleep. 

The next morning, Lexi and Elliot both woke to startling news. The entire Landgraab family, it seemed, had been found dead in their mansion the previous night, all from pufferfish poisoning. Though Lexi could never have called herself friends with the family, she still found the announcement quite saddening to hear. Elliot, though, seemed oddly proud of himself for some reason. 

  



	10. Chapter 10

While Elliot pondered both his new fortune and the possibility that he was inadvertently responsible for the deaths of the immediate Landgraab family, elsewhere in the world... specifically, in Windenburg... Caleb Vatore, his master, and his girlfriend where gathering outside a bar. 

For as much as a group of three can be called a gathering, at any rate.   


She did not reply to Caleb's comment, either because he had not heard him or because she _had_ heard him and decided not to acknowledge such a clear undermining of her authority. Instead, she entered the bar, breathing deeply of the smells of polished wood and alcohol. 

  
  
  
  
  


Miss H's positive attitude remained in tact for the rest of the evening. She turned Allie, as promised, and retreated to her coffin so pleased with herself, she completely forgot to watch the late night news. If she had, she would have seen the still-airing stories of the Landgraabs' demise. At which point, much more than a simple game of Don't Wake the Llama would have been on fire. Without Geoffrey Landgraab on her side as planned, Bella Goth remained the only key person of influence in her control. Who knew how many her rival had? Drastic measures would have to be taken. 

But of course, she did not watch the news that evening, and ergo, all these ruminations had to occur later. 

We hope, dear readers, you will forgive the shortness of this particular chapter. The author seems to be rather lazy this time around.


	11. Chapter 11

Welcome back, dear readers. 

While you might be wondering if we shall explore the goings-on on Miss H or Elliot today, we are actually opening on an entirely different household. This one a small single parent family--a struggling comedian and his not-quite-thirteen-year-old daughter. (The fact that she still looked like she was nine was a point that continued to bother her.)

  
  


Meanwhile, back in Newcrest, Elliot was experiencing some dreadful news of his own. Not on par with discovering that the family who had previously disowned him had now died from eating poorly made pufferfish. That would be a horrifically insensitive comparison. But he had still received news that was less than pleasant to hear--in the form of a bill sent to his phone. 

  
  


Elliot let out a long sigh as he pondered his situation. He supposed he could ask Lily Feng for a loan. She had certainly seemed grateful enough when he turned her. But she had also seemed to have forgotten his existence in the meantime. Mostly their communications had been limited to her complaints that no one told her the vampire life would interfere with her sunbathing routine or her chef's garlic chicken recipe. 

He decided not to push his luck. 

Perhaps there was another way to earn income. Elliot could sell the TVs, yes, but then the TVs would be gone. If he could open a store of some kind where he could produce and sell goods on a regular basis... perhaps a bakery? 

It was certainly worth consideration. In the meantime, he had to make sure Kyle didn't spend any more time confusing the neighbors. Already a girl had stopped on her way to school to watch him curiously. 

  


It was a habit of Kyle's that when he went fishing, he did so for oddly extended periods of time. Before Elliot knew it, Friday had arrived. Having had no success in the recruiting department, he decided to go to the comedy show. If for no other reason, it was the perfect opportunity to scope out a potential spot for the store that still only existed in his imagination. 

  


Ten minutes later...

  
  


Lexi didn't like to jump to conclusions, but she had the uneasy feeling Elliot had made a huge mistake in purchasing this place.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Testing! Testing! Is this thing on? Kyle here! I got my own little side story I stuck at the start of this chapter. You think the author will notice? I hope not! Enjoy it!_

This is not my house. 

I know that's a weird start, but I get confused myself sometimes. The guy standing in front and yelling at me to lose the camera? It's his house. I just visit a lot. 

Some people might call me an idiot for being Elliot's friend. Or a moron. Or a fool, if they were born in some olden-time year. 

They're wrong. 

Foolish was cleaning my shirts in the dishwasher. Foolish was buying an empty Newcrest lot and forgetting to bring a house. Or a toilet. Foolish _might_ have been when I solved the toilet problem by becoming a vampire instead of visiting a hardware shop. 

But hanging around Elliot? That's just fun. You see this store? 

This is also not mine. Also Elliot's again. He bought it recently and wants to make it into a bakery. Which is cool and all, but he needs more flare. More originality. Enter me. Normally Elliot won't let me touch his cakes-in-progress, but today fate's in my favor.

"Oh, shoot!" Elliot says as he stirs the batter like a mad stirring person. "I forgot the eggs! Kyle, can you go get some?" 

"Sure!" I reply. "What kind? Ostrich eggs? Dragon eggs?" 

Elliot makes his Kyle-is-so-annoying face and says just what I need: "Never mind. I'll get the eggs. Stay here and don't touch anything!" 

I promise not to. But good friends know when to break their promises. By the batter bowl, I see all the usual baking stuff. Milk. Flour. Boring. I look around for something better. 

He-he. A flower. It's like "flour" but with a W. Adding that makes me clever. And fish improve everything. I'm debating if I should add orange juice or old socks next when a voice whispers from upstairs, 

" _Intruders… Intruders…_ "

My last name is Morone, not Intruders, so I figure they've come to the wrong place and walk upstairs to tell them so. Imagine my surprise when I meet this guy: 

"This is my store!" he screeches. "You are not welcome! Leave!" 

Most people would freak out at a see-through person, but here's the thing with being clueless: you don't scare easy. 

"No thanks," I say, rummaging around. 

The see-through guy looks mad. Flaming red mad. "LEEAAAAVE!" he yells again. 

"Uh-huh," I mutter, looking through a chest. Turns out there's a lot of cool stuff in there. Including this…

The second I hold up the flask, I know. This is the perfect secret ingredient for Elliot's cake. But I've got to get downstairs. My bud could be back any minute. 

"Are you even listening?" the ghost person demands. 

"Not really," I admit. "But if you want, I'll bring you a slice of cake when I'm done with this." 

The ghost mutters something about "mortals these days" and agrees that if I won't be terrified of him, the least I can do is bring him some cake. I sneak my final secret ingredient into the batter just as Elliot comes back and mixes in the eggs. 

This is the cake when it's done: 

"Is it supposed to be glowing?" Elliot questions. Normally when Elliot asks me stuff, he's more or less talking to himself. But this time, I feel like he really wants my opinion. So I give it to him. 

"Sure is!" I say, then put my arm around him. "Elliot, my bud, this glowing cake is going to make your bakery the talk of the town!" 

And even though I'm mostly making stuff up like usual, I've got a feeling that this time, I'm actually right. 

_Looks like the author is coming back. Kyle out! (For now.)_

\----

Greetings, dear readers. We trust you were not waiting too long. What is that strange block of text above this one? Nothing of significance, you say? Most excellent. Today we shall return to Miss H and her ever-growing clan. Allie had completed her transformation and was eager to show off her dark vampire self. Caleb really just wanted to hit the bar for a nice, refreshing Plasma Jane. He thought Allie looked lovely, of course. It was Miss H he didn't care to be around. 

  
  


At this news, Miss H fell into a deep mental debate. On one hand, Alex would be thirteen soon. She could turn him in addition to Bella Goth. Just to have her bases covered. On the other hand, she detested children, and teenagers were only mildly better. Hence why she hadn't gone after Max Villareal yet. On the other other hand, putting too many options in front of her rival could prove dangerous. Her head was beginning to hurt. Not to mention everyone was staring at her, wondering why she'd shown no visible reaction yet. 

  


Miss H's repeated screams of "YOU HEAR ME? GENEROUS!!" echoed loudly into the night as the two younger vampires made their exit. 

Caleb grasped Allie's hand and hurried her off to the nearest public space, which happened to be a small, mostly abandoned park on the edge of Forgotten Hollow. It was the sort of empty space in which one might expect a small home to be built, and yet apparently no one had ever had the energy or sufficient motivation to do. Caleb and Allie stood silent together, and Caleb let out a long sigh.

This was exactly why he had advised Allie against being turned by Miss H. She actually had the option, whereas he hadn't. There were certain perks to being on the winning side of a vampire war--no doubts there. But sometimes the downsides really wore on him more than he cared to let on. 

  
  


Meanwhile, back at Paddywhack’s Emporium, Elliot was busy experimenting with some new recipes. He had kept the name of the place unchanged, both for the sake of familiarity with old customers (what few the place had, anyway) and due to the fact that Elliot’s Emporium was simply too much alliterations for his tastes. 

Never mind that new store signs were expensive. 

  
  
  


The furious ghost dove into the "glowy cake," as Kyle had dubbed it, with surprising gusto. When the pastry was fully consumed, he turned to continue his rant, only to find that his ghostly self had started to float upwards and a strange, earthly feeling had come over him.

Elliot waved absently as the now-solid man walked out the store’s front door, down the street, and around the corner out of sight. For a long time, nobody said anything. Kyle stood by looking extremely proud of himself and apparently felt no need to add anything to the conversation. It was Lexi who at last broke the silence. 

"So... just to be clea... we have the means to make a magic food that turns ghosts into people?"

Elliot nodded slowly. That did indeed seem to be the case. His nod caused a wide smile to break across Lexi’s previously-very-anxious face. 

"I think," she said, "this just changed a whole lot for us."

And so it had.


	13. Chapter 13

As the weeks passed, the temperature dropped noticeably. Yet as we all know, children are not only infinite sources of energy, incapable of getting tired, they also take no notice of cold weather. (This immunity is particularly enhanced if a parent yells, "Don't forget your jacket!" as the child leaves the house.) Today, Jade Zest, Alex Goth, and Max Villareal were collectively utilizing their extra energy to play Voidcritters in the cool crisp winds of Preeminent Domain Park on the Magnolia Promenade. 

  
  


The children made their way to Elliot's Bakery--looking both ways before crossing the road, of course. They'd never seen any cars hurt humans, but it paid to be cautious. 

Inside his store, Elliot was reviewing the figures on his latest profits. Or lack thereof. 

  
  


Jade and the boys pressed their ears so close against the window, she pondered how they didn't get stuck there. Or push the glass in. Or both. Never mind how these people they were listening in on…no, these vampires failed so utterly to notice a bunch of kids spying on them. Were they really that dense? 

As interesting as this info was, Jade felt an ache of betrayal. Her father had so few friends, and he and Elliot had seemed to hit it off. It was bad enough that her grandparents and uncle had turned on them--her dad was still trying to cope with their deaths. Learning his one and only regular at his show was a bloodsucking creature of the night? Jade shuddered. Mostly with anger. 

  
  
  
  
  


Jade didn't feel better, but she didn't feel like she had to rush home and tell her father to get Elliot banned from the park, either. She would wait and decide. 

In the meantime, Johnny Zest had taken a short trip out to see his parents' old home. The ownership of the place was still in debate, but he had at least been cleared to look around. Familiar and faded scents lingered together on the night air--his mother's pricey perfumes, the pungent coats of polish on the floors...all of it haunted him. 


	14. Chapter 14

As Johnny stepped into the home of his past, a strange sensation overtook him. Perhaps it was the sensation of screencaps temporarily taking the place of comic pages again? Who can know for sure?

Let us explore further...

The flick of a broken light switch. A careful step around scattered books. A lean over caution tape to peek at one gold-embossed cover: _The Landgraabs: A History._ How appropriate. 

In fact, the Landgraabs _were_ history. Gone in a single tragic accident. And Johnny Zest was their rejected child, their outcast, their echo. He crept down the dim foyer of Affluista Mansion, expecting his mother's ghost to jump out any second. He almost wished it would. Then he could prove to himself he didn't miss her. 

A turn into the kitchen. The stench of rotting fruit from the counter. There were lavender-skinned peaches with a coppery scent. An oval-shaped coconut, topped with blue leaves A glowing red...was it a pomegranate? 

It gave no smell but a...a sound. A whisper.

_Hello._

Johnny stumbled back, bumping his shoulder against the wall, knocking an old painting sideways. He heard of people who talked to plants. Word had it they made excellent gardeners. He had no desire to be one of them. "H-Hello?" he stammered.

 _What are you looking for?_ the fruit inquired. Its voice was the rhythmic cackling of branches in high winds, the whistle of air through a slitted blade of grass. 

Against all his common sense, Johnny answered it. "What am I...I'm looking for my mother." He shook his head. No, that wasn't right. His mother was gone. Yet he'd returned to his childhood home, desperate to explore and discover who she'd become in the years they'd been apart. 

_I'm looking for_ my _mother,_ the fruit said. _We should look together, yes?_

Johnny picked up and weighed the fruit in his hand. It felt strangely dense and seemed to balance itself on his palm. When he rotated his wrist slightly, it did not slip. Curious, Johnny let it rest on his shoulder, where it perched perfectly. Strange. The unnaturalness of this ability alone should have unnerved him, and yet...he drew comfort from having a companion. Even one as bizarre as this. 

"Yes," Johnny hesitantly agreed. "We should look together." He took a step towards the hall, kicking aside a piece of broken pottery. He planned to head up the stairs, to look through his mother's old jewelry box, but he felt himself drawn away. 

_I know where we should look,_ the fruit said. _Come, yes? You are coming, yes?_

An urge. A firm pull towards the back door of the house. Johnny practically tripped over his own feet getting there. "Okay! Okay!" he chuckled. "Yes, I'm coming." This situation had already gotten so strange so quickly. He might as well play along. 

A long walk. A trespass into odd places Johnny had never heard of and was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be. He could imagine what would happen if Nancy Landgraab was here. _What are you doing, Johnny?_ she would scream. _You can't just take directions from a plant! What will the neighbors say?_ Each step had gave him a buzzing thrill of defiance. 

"This way?" Johnny asked, pointing down a misty, sweet-smelling corridor. 

_This way,_ the fruit confirmed. 

The groan of hinges, the scrape of metal as a massive door opened. And then...the gasp of breath when he saw her. 

She was beautiful. Bulging leaves and ripe vines enthroned her. Colors shifted from deep, royal purple to bold, daring crimson. An aura of peaceful energy radiated from her. Johnny inhaled like the air itself was a rare treasure. 

_What are you looking for?_ the plant asked. 

A grin pulled at Johnny's lips. "I'm looking for my mother," he said.

 _I'm looking for_ my _mother,_ the fruit echoed.

She leaned down. The shift of her heavy leaves was like an angelic sigh. The tips of her magnificent petals touched Johnny's forehead. He could no longer resist. He and the fruit sought the same thing. Sang the same song. Could _be_ the same being...if...if...

As though in convulsion, Johnny opened his mouth wide, yanked the fruit from his shoulder, and shoved the entire thing between his lips. No juices leaked, no tastes emerged. It shifted over his tongue, gliding down his throat like the smoothest wine. His head felt lighter, his mind dreamy. 

Who was Nancy Landgraab? Why had he ever cared about her? She had certainly never cared about him. 

He coughed and gagged, struggling to hold himself together. The sweet taste of her aura. He couldn't get enough. Couldn't breathe. 

_It's okay._

_"It's okay."_

His body twisted, and the gagging stopped. His head slowly lifted. 

" _Hello, Mother,_ " the fruit and Johnny said together. Their voice sounded raw and ravaged in this ugly human form. But Mother would help with that. Mother helped with all. 

A step back. An echo on metallic flooring. A grin of pure admiration. 

" _Hello, my son,_ " said Mother. 

\----

Ah, the comic pages have returned. Most excellent.

If you were to ask Johnny Zest what he had found in his parents' basement, he would have either not remembered at all, said something that, by pure coincidence, sounded very poetic, or (in highest likelihood) babbled incoherently. 

Bella Goth knew this from experience. She also knew as time passed, Johnny would have fewer and fewer moments of coherence, replaced with moments of sheer, brainwashed bliss. She sighed in envy. 

  


Bella watched Johnny jog around the yard happily, craning his neck at random, uncomfortable-looking angles. She sighed again. It was so unfair. She had thought being a vampire would be so chique and cool, but becoming a plant person looked way more fun. She should have been able to be a plant vampire. But it seemed fate was against her. She had hung around for a while hoping the mother plant changed its mind, but it seemed the decision was final. Under no circumstances would it take minions that were already someone else's minions. But on the bright side, Bella wasn't running around the yard like a clumsy, giggling llama.

 _I should get back to Willow Creek soon,_ , she thought. _Mortimer is probably worried about me. Though I'm sure Alex is fine._ She grabbed the bags she had stashed in a hidden compartment under a rock. Strangerville did have its charm. And its idiosyncrasies. _I wonder if Miss H managed to get anyone else in her clan while I've been away..._

  


The trip to Plumbob Studios was not long. When Allie and Caleb arrived, they were permitted in without fuss and found Judith Ward hard at work (in a manner of speaking) on her latest film. 

  
  
  
  
  


Allie smiled. She liked to think she and Caleb would work together well on any project they set out to accomplish. Yet their chemistry was particularly uncanny when it came to convincing people to join a vampire clan headed by an egomaniac. Allie pondered if her decision to attend medical school had been misplaced. She didn't support Miss H's evil lifestyle, but she wasn't doing a whole lot to fight against it, either. 

A debate for another time. 

Meanwhile, back at the Straud Mansion, Lilith Vatore was paying a visit to her master. The reason for said visit being that Vlad had called her up at the crack of dusk and demanded it. 

  


Lilith left shaking her head, unsure how exactly she would get Elliot and Miss H to meet each other but confident she would think of something. Speaking of Elliot, should the reader be curious, he was currently sitting at home, still locked in the moral quandary of whether or not to turn Max Villareal. He was also feeling considerably left out of this chapter. Ah, well. Maybe next time, Elliot.


	15. Chapter 15

It was past dusk at Elliot's home in Newcrest. After much distressing debate which cost him the entire length of the previous chapter, the reluctant vampire master had concluded that he could not (either morally or practically) change Max Villareal into a vampire as the youth had hoped. 

Said youth, having agreed to meet Elliot at his abode before visiting the ghosts at the Goths' home, was not taking this news well. 

  
  
  


Elliot got this foreboding feeling, of course, because it was accurate. But he had rarely listened to that pressing voice of reason in his mind before, and had no intention of starting now. Meanwhile, at his bakery/gift shop, Lexi was finishing up with her last few customers of the evening. Outside in the ever-colder night air, a sad and confused Jade Zest approached the building. Its warm light left inviting, a sensation she hadn't experienced all week. Her father had been acting very strangely. In fact, she had only seen him in passing for two days. She was quite independent, being so close to her birthday and all, but still...life was starting to feel lonely. 

And while the perfect birthday cake was no substitute for human companionship, it was nevertheless a welcome comfort. 

  
  


Jade cradled the box like a precious treasure and hurried back home. Meanwhile, Elliot, Kyle, Alex, and Max had arrived at the Goths' home. True to his word, Alex showed various ghosts floating in and out of sight, most of them headed towards a creepy bar across the street that looked more a small aging castle. A faded sign on the outside advertised: Ghost Night! 50% off drinks! Ghosts only!

Elliot nodded at the bar's aesthetic. He actually rather liked it. 

  
  
  


Back in Oasis Springs, Jade opened her gift from Lexi and placed it on the counter. The house was empty—she had hoped it wouldn't be, but neither was she surprised. Her eyes fell to the wall clock as the minutes ticked down to midnight. 

  


Jade let out a scream. Then she grabbed the cake, box included, and sprinted into the night. Whatever was wrong with her father, she wouldn't be a helpless little girl anymore. She would age into a teenager tonight and then, she would find out who had done this to her family and stop them once and for all.


	16. Chapter 16

As Jade sprinted into the night in Oasis Springs, back at Forgotten Hollow, Miss H was not sprinting anywhere at all. This being despite Caleb's numerous warnings that she really should get herself to the Goth house to intercept Elliot's. His attempts to win over Max Villareal and the youngest member of the Goth family could prove disastrous to their cause. But Miss H, as she always did, paid Caleb no mind and focused her attention instead on a curious visitor who had shown up on her front door. 

Miss H took Bella into a separate room, not caring to involve her newest offspring. She was more than a little uncomfortable to hear Bella's story. Even more uncomfortable when she informed her that this strange new creature had also gotten its tendrils into Oasis Springs' person of influence. This was proving a most difficult area to gain control of. Exactly how far down the line of successors did she have to go?

But...she couldn't despair. She had vital information her rival did not. In the long term, this could only help her. She and Bella existed the bedroom into the foyer, where Caleb and Allie were waiting. 

  


Caleb and Bella exchanged glances. They both held the attitude that Miss H was not nearly as good a planner as she thought she was, nor did either of them ever go out of their way to fulfill her orders with urgency. In fact, Caleb would have preferred to ignore them completely this time. Lilith would be furious when they showed up master-less, and he didn't feel like getting chewed out. Then again, he would get chewed out for not showing up later, so he might as well get it over with. 

Allie asked Bella if anything exciting had happened while she was away. She sighed dramatically and said that yes, of course it had, but only to others. Never to her. Her best hope was that some of the excitement would make its way here into Forgotten Hollow for her to enjoy. 

Caleb and Allie both nodded slowly as they hurried to catch a cab to Willow Creek. 

Lilith jabbed a finger in the direction of the Hollow Slough Bar, where Elliot was chatting up a most unexpected visitor. Along with other ghosts in the area, the Landgraabs had found the bar behind the Goths' mansion suited their otherwordly tastes to perfection. They gleefully chatting up the victim of the unknown giant plant and the mediocre athlete who had attempted to swim in a fenced-in pool. Elliot's heart would have been pumping wildly as he approached...if it still did that sort of thing. 

  
  
  
  


Elliot complied with their request. In fact, he said nothing else to them at all as he took off towards Oasis Springs. If Jade Zest was indeed in charge of the Landgraab fortune now...if she was the area's new person of influence...she would be a prime target for Elliot's rival. 

Elliot did not know much about his rival yet. He didn't even know much about his rival's offspring yet. From the little information Vlad had given him, he only knew she was named Gertrude, and she was incredibly competitive. He got the distinct impression she didn't care too much about the welfare of her offspring, only that she had them. If that was the case, he didn't trust her to look out for Jade even one bit. He had to get to the girl first. And hopefully find out what had happened to her father, too. 

Of course, unbeknownst to Elliot, he was headed for an empty house. Jade had run to the Desert Bloom Park, still clutching her birthday cake in her arms. She settled down by a bush in the darkness, watching the little flames flicker and dance on the ends of the candles—as if, like her, they wanted nothing more than to leap into the air and fly away. 

If Elliot had been in the park in that moment, he would have seen his worst fears confirmed. His rival had indeed discovered who the missing family of influence was in Oasis Springs and tracked Johnny Zest's daughter down...

  


Jade looked between the strange woman and the now somewhat lopsided cake at her feet. Then she picked the cake up, inhaled as deeply as she could, and snuffed out the array of candles with a single, dramatic breath.


	17. Chapter 17

  
  


Jade watched in shock and amazement as the famous actress was surrounded in purple smoke, transforming her into a creature that would have looked every bit at home in an old-fashioned horror movie. 

With a pair of dark sunglasses and a generic-looking hat, of course. Couldn't have the commoners seeing such a high profile celebrity out and about like this. Jade was struggling to control her own excitement, all mixed up with her worry and fear about what her father might have gotten herself into. 

  
  
  
  


And thus the three went their separate ways.

Elliot, meanwhile, was not completely oblivious to the situation at hand. Though he may have failed to convince the Landgraabs to rejoin the living (and his clan while they were at it), he too had correctly identified Jade as their heir. 

Unfortunately, unlike Miss H, he had no clue where she or her "indisposed" father were at the moment. The only place he could think to search was their house.

  
  
  


The group split up, looking all around the small house for whatever clues they could find. Oh, very well, perhaps "look" is a generous term. Max mostly complained, and Alex mostly tried to get him to stop complaining. Kyle sat on the couch and fretted about unknown plants. Elliot sighed a lot. 

It was more like Lexi searched the small house. But even she was not able to discover anything to immediately indicate where the Zest family might have gone. 

  


Alex gave a polite nod as he walked out the door. Somewhere, a distant clock struck the dark hour of six am with resounding, ominous gongs. Harvestfest had begun in earnest.


End file.
